


Chronicles of the Morphosnake

by roryfreisthler



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Abused Tom Riddle, Albus Dumbledore Bashing, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Historical, Alternate Universe - World War II, Anti-Hero, Bullying, Bullying is actually totally tolerated at Hogwarts, Canon-Typical Behavior, Canon-Typical Violence, Canonical Character Death, Child Sexual Abuse, Child on Child Sexual Abuse, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Evil Albus Dumbledore, F/M, FTM Tom Riddle, FTM Tom Riddle | Voldemort, Gaslighting, Gen, Grooming, Historical Fantasy, Historical References, Hogwarts, Holocaust, Incompetent Teachers, Incompetent adults, M/M, Manipulative Albus Dumbledore, Metamorphmagus, Metamorphmagus Tom Riddle, Metamorphmagus Tom Riddle | Voldemort, Minor Character Death, Minor Character Death(s), Misgendering, More Sympathetic Than Canon Tom Riddle, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Period Typical Attitudes, Period-Typical Sexism, Period-Typical Transphobia, Sympathetic Tom Riddle, Transgender Tom Riddle, Transgender Tom Riddle | Voldemort, Transphobia, World War II, Young Tom Riddle, deadnaming, transgender main character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-18
Updated: 2021-03-18
Packaged: 2021-03-27 10:41:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 712
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30121530
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/roryfreisthler/pseuds/roryfreisthler
Summary: An alternate universe story of Tom Riddle's Hogwarts years and rise to power as a Metamorphmagus and trans man, against the backdrop of World War II-era England. He's never been a good child, but he sure has an interesting story.
Relationships: Albus Dumbledore & Tom Riddle | Voldemort, Albus Dumbledore/Tom Riddle | Voldemort, Moaning Myrtle/Tom Riddle, Rubeus Hagrid & Tom Riddle, Tom Riddle & Original Character(s), Tom Riddle | Voldemort/Horace Slughorn, Tom Riddle/Horace Slughorn





	Chronicles of the Morphosnake

**Author's Note:**

> The chapters containing child sexual abuse or underage will be individually warned, but consider the transphobia, emotional/psychological abuse and gaslighting tags to be blanket warnings for the entire fanfiction, because Dumbledore is a manipulative bastard who thinks that Tom being born of a love potion/unable to love means that any abuse he does towards him is justified. I don't like revealing Tom's deadname, but considering that canon!Dumbledore has a habit of refusing to use his chosen name to unnerve him... _well_.

“You’re the doctor, aren’t you?” A young boy sat cross-legged on his bed at Wool’s Orphanage, staring at the old, white-bearded man in front of him. 

  
“No, Rachel. I am a professor. My name is Albus Dumbledore,” the man stated. 

  
The boy bristled at the name. “That’s not my name. I’m called Thomas, Tom for short. Or just Riddle,” 

  
“Odd. It’s your name on the orphanage’s records,” Dumbledore said idly.

  
“Well, I don’t like Mrs. Cole,” Tom’s voice came out sharp, and Dumbledore looked at him with a concerned expression. Tom knew that it was inevitable that Mrs. Cole had told him about his incidents with the other children. But really, what was he supposed to do when they called him a freak for one reason… or another? “And I don’t believe you. She wants me looked at. They think I’m different.”

  
Dumbledore chuckled, a noise that inflamed Tom. “Well, perhaps they’re right.”

  
“I’m not mad,” Tom insisted, clutching at the thin blanket on his bed. He watched Dumbledore put a stick to the door and mutter something he couldn’t quite hear.

  
“Hogwarts is not a place for mad people. Hogwarts is a school, a school of magic.”

  
At that, Tom perked up, but his eyes were still suspicious.

  
Dumbledore continued, posing a question to the boy. “You can do things, can’t you, Rachel? Things other children can’t? You can tell me, I’ll make sure Mrs. Cole doesn’t hear,”

  
A smirk spread across Tom’s face as he listed off his abilities, ignoring correcting the man in favor of bragging. “I can make things move without touching them. I can make animals do what I want without training them. I can make my body change by willing it. I can make bad things happen to people who are mean to me. Can make them hurt, if I want,” 

  
Dumbledore’s expression was fairly neutral at the first two statements, but his careful composure broke at the third. “How long have you been able to change your body like this?”

  
“At first I just did it a little, starting when I was five or so. But after my eighth birthday I was able to do more. That’s why I’m Thomas instead of Rachel. I don’t look like a girl anymore,” Tom smiled, looking up at Dumbledore, perhaps hoping for praise. 

  
Instead of praise, Dumbledore pointed his wand at the boy. “ _Visicorpium_.”

  
Tom screamed in horror as his body morphed, changing to an older version of how he’d looked at eight years when he’d discovered the extent of his appearance-altering ability. His hand flew to his crotch, now shaped how it had been a few years ago. “You - what - what did you do?”

  
“Yes, you look like a daughter of your mother’s line,” Dumbledore said in a measured voice.

  
“I don’t want to!” Tom’s voice came out shrill, too overwhelmed by the sudden change in his body to pay attention to what the old man had said about his mother, and as Dumbledore looked at him, his skin moved, his body changing back to how he wanted it to look with significant speed. 

  
“Why did you do that?” He demanded.

  
“There were rumors…” Dumbledore said. “Well, I can’t promise you that everyone at Hogwarts will call you by your chosen name. You’ll best have to get used to it,” He gave the boy a smile that Tom supposed was meant to look sympathetic, but looked anything but. “And bullying is not tolerated at Hogwarts. You won’t be able to kill people’s pets for them telling you you’re a girl. At Hogwarts, you’ll be taught not only how to use magic, but how to control it. Do you understand?”

  
“I can control my magic just fine,” Tom spat, hands curled into fists. 

  
Dumbledore ignored him, continuing on. “I will return in a few weeks to take you shopping for your school supplies. Try to stay out of trouble until then,” 

  
Tom didn’t respond, but as Dumbledore picked up his briefcase and walked to the door of Room 27, he asked another question.

  
“I can speak to snakes too. They find me. Whisper things. Is that… normal for someone like us?”

  
Dumbledore did not respond, simply removing the charm on the door and sweeping out of the room.


End file.
